Murray State University Athletics
Racers travel to Illinois State
9/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
The Murray State Racers, fresh off a 27-15 win over Gateway Conference member Indiana State on Sept. 17, will travel to Normal, Ill., on Saturday to face another Gateway Conference member in Illinois State, coached by former Murray State head coach Denver Johnson.
The Racers (1-1) will look to snap two streaks Saturday that have daunted them for several years. A win Saturday would snap head coach Joe Pannunzio's eight-game non-conference road losing streak (although four of those losses have came to Division I-A teams), and a win would snap the Racers' streak of three straight seasons in which they entered Ohio Valley Conference play with a losing record. Murray State travels to OVC member Tennessee Tech next week.
Pannunzio knows a win on the road against a tough Illinois State team will be easier said than done.
"Illinois State beat (OVC member) Eastern Illinois handily (27-6 on Sept. 17), and that opened my eyes," Pannnuzio said. "Denver's teams are always going to have physical offensive lines, and the game will be a tough battle. I think they are one of the best teams in the Gateway Conference."
That last statement by Pannunzio should give fans a hint of the respect Pannunzio has for Johnson's Redbirds team, considering the Gateway Conference sports three of the nation's top 10 teams in the latest Sports Network I-AA poll (No. 1 Western Kentucky, No. 3 Southern Illinois and No. 10 Northern Iowa).
In the Murray State's win over Indiana State, the Racers experimented with a new successful defensive front (the Racer defense did not allow a single point in the last three quarters) and an offensive formation which at times included both senior Nick Turner (took part in three touchdowns in Indiana State win) and junior Tank Cook (Murray State's top returning rusher from 2004 who already has scored two touchdowns in two games for the Racers in 2005).
"We dabbled with a three-man front last week (on defense)," Pannunzio said. "It enabled us to hide a weakness at defensive line because we had some people out (Barry Thomas and Fabian Bean; both are expected to play this week). At times, (having both Turner and Cook in at the same time) has been effective. It certainly gives the opponent something to worry about."
One good thing about the new defensive look is that it establishes new stars who flourish in the system, as shown by the performances of safeties Michael Sturgis (whose 11-tackle performance made him OVC Defensive Player of the Week) and Will Werner, who forced Indiana State into an interception with a blitz.
"Michael flies around and is very aggressive, and he got more snaps because we went to that three-man front," Pannunzio said. "Will also came in and performed very well."
This game is a special occasion for several staff members of Murray State and Illinois State. Johnson began his head coaching career at Murray State in 1997, leading the Racers to three consecutive 7-4 seasons, and coached Murray State football legend Justin Fuente, the current Illinois State offense coordinator. Fuente became a two-time All-OVC selection (1998-99) and was named OVC Offensive Player of the Year in 1999. He currently owns 11 Murray State school records and holds OVC records for most passing yards in a game (553 vs. Southern Illinois in 1999) and in a season (3,497 in 1999).
Racer defensive coordinator Dennis Therrell also has spent plenty of time at Hancock Stadium in the past. From 1997 to 2000, Therrell served as defensive coordinator for the Redbirds under head coach Todd Berry, helping Illinois State reach the NCAA I-AA semifinals in 1999. Racer assistant coach Matt Garrett also played for Johnson at Murray State (1998-99).
The Racers and Redbirds series is even at 1-1, with both teams winning their games on their home field. Murray State defeated the Redbirds 32-17 in 2001, while the Racers lost a heartbreaker to the Redbirds 24-23 in 2002. In that game, the Racers scored with under a minute to go, and went for the two-point conversion for the win, but running back Garner Byars was stopped at the one-foot line by Redbird All-American linebacker and current Kansas City Chief Boomer Grigsby. The Racers recovered the ensuing onside kick, and had 30 seconds to get in field-goal range, but quarterback Stewart Childress was intercepted to put the game on ice for Illinois State.
For Murray State, Ken Topps leads the offense at quarterback, passing for 221 yards and rushing for 107 yards in the Racers' first two games. Cook leads the team in rushing with 140 yards in two games, while Danny Rumley has caught a team-high eight passes in two games for the Racers. The Racers' leading tackler is Paul Walker, who has amassed a total of 20 tackles in two games for the Racers.
For the Redbirds (2-1), their offensive attack is led by quarterback Luke Drone, who has thrown for 767 yards and seven touchdowns. The Redbirds' rushing attack is split between two running backs in Pierre Lambert (173 yards, two touchdowns) and Brian Thompson. Two other important weapons the Redbirds contain are wide receiver Laurent Robinson, who has caught five touchdowns for 357 yards -- including a six-catch, two-touchdown, 177-yard receiving game against I-A opponent Iowa State to open the season. Punter Ryan Hoffman, an All-America selection who averages 42.1 yards per punt this season, was recently one of 40 players selected for the 2005 Ray Guy Award Watch List, which is given to the top collegiate punter of the year. Hoffman was the only punter of the 40 who wasn't on a Division I-A program.
